Betrayal
by sophlightwood
Summary: This is how I imagined Caleb and Susan's relationship to be in Divergent, and Susan's Abnegation initiation process with a twist (aka a guy). Also a possible explanation of why Caleb betrayed Tris. Told from Susan's POV.
1. War

**Caleb/Susan Fanfiction (based on ****Divergent**** by Veronica Roth)**

**Chapter One**

I always expect my street to be silent in the middle of the night, but it is louder now than during the day.

The only sounds echoing in my ears are crickets bleating, the distant roar of a train, and my own footsteps, though I try to keep as quiet as possible. The Abnegation are usually asleep fairly early; it is not likely that they are peering out their windows at one in the morning. Still, I am cautious as I head down the crumbling sidewalk to the Priors' house.

My stomach flutters as I think about Caleb. I will be at his house, in his room, in merely a few minutes.

We were able to meet after our aptitude tests, but only briefly before my brother caught up to us. Caleb managed to invite me over, saying that he had something important to tell me. I am excited but nervous. This is not the first time we've done this, but he has never told me something like that beforehand. It can't be about his test, though. Caleb is more suited for Abnegation than my parents. He is thoroughly selfless.

Unlike his sister, and my brother, who I am sure will transfer factions. Beatrice has always been distant, unhappy with our lifestyle. Robert too. I am not sure what could possess them to want to leave their lives and families behind, but it is not my choice. I can only choose for myself, and I have no choice but Abnegation. It is my home, and always will be.

I reach the Priors' house. Like the rest on our street, and throughout Abnegation's part of the city, it is comprised of rundown gray stone and brick. As silently as possible, I press my back against the rough side of the house and creep around to the back. The yellow light shining through Caleb's window is the only one on the street still illuminated.

The window is not very high; perhaps fifteen feet up. I have never been afraid of heights, not that I've done much climbing. Things of that nature are left to the Dauntless.

There are several conveniently extended bricks along the wall that aid my climb. That is why we always meet at Caleb's house.

When I reach the window, I tap it lightly. Just loud enough for him to hear. A chilly breeze rustles my unshapely gray pajamas as I hear the padding of footsteps, and the glass slides away.

"Hi," says Caleb with a coy smile, the dimples in his cheeks prominent.

"Hi," I echo, suddenly flustered. I am not sure why; it's just Caleb, I remind myself. Your boyfriend.

"Need some help?"

I open my mouth to say no, thank you, but before I can his hands grasp my arms just above my elbows and pull me in through the open window. I guess I am lighter than I thought; I don't get to look in the mirror often.

He pulls me onto his lap, on his bed after moving a stack of books aside to make room. I want to ask him what it was that he had to tell me, but his lips are already pressing against mine and everything else melts away. My hands are twined in his thick, short dark hair and his are on my waist and I can only think of Caleb and how much I love him.

A light knock on the door startles us both away from each other. Panic pulses through me; we have never been caught before, and I do not intend to get caught now.

"Caleb?" It is his mother.

I look at Caleb, whose eyes are wide. He shakes his head, recovering from shock, and points to the closet across the room. "Hide in there," he whispers.

I scramble off of his lap and tiptoe to the closet, which holds only six items of standard, Abnegation-gray clothing. Caleb shuts the door, enclosing me in almost complete darkness; there is a small gap in the doorframe which provides a view into his room.

"Come in," Caleb says, not the least bit shaken. He could never be Candor.

_What is Mrs. Prior doing talking to him at one in the morning? _I wonder, watching her tentatively step into his room, taking a seat in his desk chair. Caleb is seated on his bed.

"Is everything all right?" He asks.

"Not exactly," she says seriously.

Mrs. Prior reaches over and grabs hold of Caleb's hands, staring earnestly into his green eyes that he inherited from her. "You cannot choose Abnegation tomorrow."

"But I can't leave you and Dad and Beatrice," he protests immediately. "And—"

Mrs. Prior's eyebrows furrow. "Who else?"

Caleb casts a glance at the closet. "No one."

"This is very important, Caleb. You have to make this sacrifice."

"A sacrifice for what?"

"For the city, for Abnegation." Mrs. Prior is adamant, but quieter than before. I have to strain to make out what she is saying. "I can't tell you everything, but something big is going on. Something bigger than Choosing Day."

"Does this have to do with those reports the Erudite are printing?" Caleb asks.

"Those reports are only the beginning," she says gravely.

"Can you tell me anything else?"

"Only which faction you need to choose."

There is a brief pause. Perhaps Caleb is already anticipating her answer. "Which one?"

"Erudite."

Caleb's eyes widen, and he stutters, unable to respond.

My mind struggles to process all that I am hearing. He has to choose Erudite tomorrow?

Mrs. Prior sighs. "You cannot speak of this to anyone." He nods. "But we need . . . someone like a spy."

"Why does it have to be me?" Caleb asks. "Why not use someone who actually _wants _to switch to Erudite?"

"Your father has a government position," Mrs. Prior explained. "It will be easier for us to contact you than any other Abnegation family. Besides, no one is supposed to know about this."

Caleb is silent for a moment, taking this in. I wonder if they can hear my pounding heartbeat. Is Erudite preparing to attack our faction? Abnegation is completely defenseless; we aren't Dauntless, who are probably eagerly anticipating a battle.

"Can you tell me anything else?" Caleb asks finally. His mother shakes her head.

My chest is heavy. Mrs. Prior cannot control him completely; he still has the option to override her decision and remain in Abnegation. But he won't. He is too loyal for that, too obedient. Too selfless.

"Besides," she says, "You'll be happy there. I know your aptitude test doesn't determine everything, but it determines some things."

"Mom," Caleb says, his voice choked. "I don't want to leave."

The corner of her mouth curls into a sad smile. "I know. But you'll be glad you did." She leans over, kisses his forehead, and heads for the hall. She pauses in the doorway, turns and says, "Trust me. And get some sleep."

I wait until I hear the door's lock click shut and Mrs. Prior's footsteps returning to her room down the hall. Then I consider stepping into Caleb's room, but I am paralyzed with shock.

After a few moments of silence, broken only by Caleb's heavy breathing, the closet door creaks open. I blink, trying to adjust my eyes to the light. When they do, and I see him, the backs of my eyes burn with tears.

I have always known that, in Abnegation, it is wrong to indulge in fantasies. Yet I often let my mind drift to the future, where I imagined Caleb and I growing closer during the Abnegation initiation process, marrying in a small ceremony attended by our families and a few friends like Marcus Eaton, perhaps, and raising children the same way we were brought up. Now everything is tainted with Erudite blue.

Caleb swings open the closet door and wraps his arms around me, a gesture I used to find comforting. But now it feels too much like goodbye, and I do not want to say goodbye to Caleb, not now, not ever.

He squeezes me tightly, and I rest my cheek on his worn gray t-shirt.

"This doesn't have to change anything," he says quietly.

"It changes _everything_," I manage, though my words sound choked.

"Look at me," Caleb says, and he backs away, cupping my face with his hands. I try to avoid looking him in the eyes, the same green as his mother's, but there seems to be a magnetic pull drawing my gaze to them. "I have to do this, because my mother needs me to. Abnegation needs me too. Faction before blood, remember?" He laughs weakly, humorlessly. "But as soon as this is over, I will come back."

_You can't transfer factions after Choosing Day, _I want to reply, then realize that Abnegation will probably take him back. He is a Prior, after all.

I take a deep breath, struggling to calm my nerves. His words echo through my brain. _As soon as this is over, I will come back. _As soon as _what _is over, though? A war? There has always been tension between our faction and Erudite, but it could never escalate to that.

"Susan," he says gently, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Promise me," I beg. "Promise you'll come back."

He doesn't hesitate. "I promise."

"I love you, Caleb," I say, worried that this will be the last time I speak those words.

He kisses me then, harder than usual, and again I want to cry. How long will it be, I wonder, before this happens again?

When I finally pull away, breathing hard, he whispers, "I love you too."


	2. The Choosing Ceremony

**Caleb and Susan Fanfiction**

** Chapter Two**

"You look tired, Susan."

I glance up from my bland breakfast of oatmeal at my father, who is staring at me curiously; he is almost concerned.

"I was up late thinking about the Choosing Ceremony today." I force a tight smile across my face, grateful that they haven't commented on my eyes. They are still slightly swollen and red-tinged from crying last night.

There was no solace in knowing it was not the last time I would see Caleb before he traded his baggy gray clothes for stiff blue ones and donned a pair of glasses; I will see him today at the Ceremony, perhaps even sit next to him, but we will not be able to talk like we can in private. Last night was goodbye. I let the tears stinging my throat and the backs of my eyes fall freely once I returned home, for a long time. Now I feel hollow, emptied out, as if I have used up all of my allotted emotion for the time being.

"You're lucky, Susan." My mother, who is seated to my left, smiles brightly. "Your choice will be much easier than others'." I cannot be sure, but I think she casts a brief glance across the table at my brother.

"Yes, I know." _As soon as this is over, I'll come back. I promise._

Caleb's words will not stop echoing in my head.

We take the bus to the Choosing Ceremony along with all the other sixteen-year-olds and their parents. Besides the Dauntless, of course; jumping off of a moving bus just isn't as dangerous as leaping off of a moving train.

If there is one faction I would never consider joining, I think as the packed vehicle rattles along the bumpy road to the Hub, it is Dauntless.

I struggle to stay close to Robert and my parents as we weave our way through the crowd of other factions surging toward the entrance to the building. I feel a hand close around mine, and glance up to see it belongs to my brother. We haven't held hands since we were five or six years old, but somehow it is comforting now.

I considered telling Robert about Caleb, because he must know how I feel. He has had feelings for his sister Beatrice for a long time, but he knows they aren't mutual. I decided against it because it seemed like something that should be kept secret, the way Mrs. Prior talked.

Though I would have preferred to take the elevator, we follow the rest of the Abnegation up the stairs.

"We'll see you soon," my mother smiles, but her gaze remains on me longer than on Robert. She must be anticipating that he will transfer, though my father appears blissfully oblivious.

It is crowded when we reach the room in which the Ceremony will take place, and I search for Caleb and Beatrice but cannot locate them amidst the raucous crowd. I do, however, find the Abnegation section easily, and I take my place at the edge of the adults' chairs, flanked by Robert and a Candor girl named Christina Blithe.

"You look scared," the Candor girl says, almost amused.

"Aren't you?" Of course I am scared. I am afraid of losing Caleb. Perhaps she is afraid of transferring factions, something I do not have to worry about.

The girl snorts. "Not at all."

Marcus Eaton steps up to the podium. I can't explain why, but I've always disliked him. Nobody else believes those reports the Erudite printed about him abusing his son, but judging by my few interactions with him, they're perfectly plausible.

He delivers a short speech about the factions' history, which I cannot bring myself to listen to. I am too busy searching for Caleb. I look down the line of sixteen-year-old Abnegation, trying to be discreet, but I can't spot him.

"Looking for someone?" Christina smirks. Not in a mean way; she seems friendly enough. Besides, I remind myself, she is Candor. Inquiring about someone else's personal life is not considered strange there.

"Just a friend," I lie, wondering if people raised in Candor are taught to detect dishonesty.

"Sure," she says with a small laugh.

Marcus finishes his speech, and calls the first person up to the five bowls at the opposite end of the room, one for each faction. I'll be close to last, while Caleb will be closer to the middle. At least I get to see him one last time.

I watch each person step out of line, walk past Marcus and the other factions, some stumbling and some confident, but I cannot focus on anyone.

"Caleb Prior," Marcus says, and finally I see him.

Caleb, dressed in his usual gray slacks and gray t-shirt, steps out of the line of remaining Abnegation. He glances in my direction, and my breath catches in my throat as our eyes meet. The corner of his mouth curls into the slightest smile and he mouths, "I promise."

He turns and walks to the large metal bowls. Marcus hands him the knife and he doesn't hesitate to slide it across his wrist. I can't make out the bead of red blood that oozes out of the cut, but I watch him slowly approach the bowls. Caleb takes a deep breath and pauses, his wrist carefully hovering between the already red-tinged Erudite bowl of water and smooth rock-filled Abnegation bowl. In a move that only I, Mrs. Prior, and a handful of other Abnegation anticipate, Caleb's wrist tilts into the Erudite bowl.  
Almost immediately, whispers behind us begin, and escalate to a riotous uproar of protests as Caleb joins the rest of the Erudite transfers.

Marcus restores order in the room, and I exhale; I hadn't realized I was holding my breath.

"Wow," Christina mutters, as Caleb's sister Beatrice is called. She chooses Dauntless.

Caleb's words from last night echo in my brain: _When all of this is over, I'll come back. I promise. _

Finally my name is reached, and not many people are still paying attention; it's been a long morning. Still, I feel my hand shaking unsteadily as I accept the knife from Marcus, and gingerly cut my wrist. It stings, and deep red blood seeps out of the cut. I feel a brief sense of empowerment as I step up to the bowls; I have, right now, what I never will again: the ability to change everything. I can even switch to Erudite if I want.

But I know that I can't, I won't. I pinch my wrist, and drop the blood over the Abnegation rocks.

I find a place behind the adult Abnegation, with the few transfers. There are only about twenty people.

"Hi," says the boy I sat next to, extending a hand. "I'm Liam."

I am slightly startled to see that his shirt is blue; glasses frame his angular face. He is Erudite.

He chuckles slightly. "I know it's strange," he says quietly, "but Erudite was a bit too much for me. I'm not much of a reader."

I am momentarily speechless. Emotions crash like waves inside me. The Erudite boy's wide green eyes remind me of Caleb's, and I already miss him. Feeling like a traitor, but wanting to be polite, I accept his handshake.

"Welcome to Abnegation."


	3. Liam

**Betrayal**

**Caleb/Susan Fanfiction (based on ****Divergent**** by Veronica Roth)**

** Chapter Three**

When the Choosing Ceremony is over, chaos erupts from the Dauntless section. They leap out of their seats and storm the doors that are not big enough for all of them to squeeze through. They shout, and cheer, and I spot Beatrice Prior near the back of the crowd, looking lost but happy. Relieved.

The Erudite file out next, woven into the crowd of Amity and Candor. Despite our nickname, it's Erudite who all look the most stiff. There is an air of superiority hovering around them; they think they're better than the rest of us because they supply the city with necessities like medicine. I look for Caleb, but the crowd is surging forward too quickly. I wonder, briefly, if he is looking for me too.

Marcus, still at the podium, addresses the only remaining faction. My faction.

"Welcome, new Abnegation members," he smiles. "To begin your initiation process, you will stay here and help us clean up the room. Please form a single-file line at this table." He gestures to his left, where Andrew Prior and another middle-aged man are pulling up a table and two folding chairs.

Chairs screech against the marble floor as the initiates stand. The adults remain seated, talking quietly to one another. There is one word I hear repeatedly: _Prior. _

"Hey." A gentle hand nudges my shoulder. "The line."

I turn to see Liam, his warm brown eyes sparkling with amusement. I whirl back around to see that I, distracted by my eavesdropping, didn't realize our row was the only one left. The initiates are just too timidly polite to say something.

I mumble a thank-you to the extremely tall boy, who is strangely muscular for an Erudite, and hurry to snake around the empty rows of folding chairs to the line in front of the table.

"Nervous?" Liam smirks slightly, in a friendly, not insulting, way.

The Candor girl had asked me the same question during the ceremony. "What makes you say that?"

"You seem distracted," he explains. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh, you didn't—"

"Is it because your brother transferred?"

This surprises me. "No, not at all. Robert . . . Robert wasn't happy here." I could see it. Caleb could see it. And I hope my parents could see it.

"But you are?" Liam raises an eyebrow. "Happy here?"

I nod firmly, almost instinctively. "Of course. I stayed, didn't I?"

Liam smiles, dimples in both of his cheeks prominent. My face flushes with heat as I force myself to turn to face the back of the person in front of me. Why am I examining Liam's facial features? I am with Caleb; I should not be looking at other boys that way.

"Our choices today don't completely define us," Liam says, lowering his voice. I know that it is rude not to turn around and face him, but I do not want him to think I am interested.

"You could have stayed because you're worried about your parents. The fact that they'd already lost your brother." I reach the table, and his last words are barely audible. "And if that's the case, you truly are Abnegation."

I want to respond, but it is too late. Andrew Prior and Marcus Eaton sit behind the table, each shuffling large stacks of paper. Marcus smiles up at me, and so does Mr. Prior, but I can tell his is forced. There is hurt in the wide blue eyes that Beatrice inherited from him; his are lined with age and shadowed with a bruise-like color that suggests insomnia.

"Hello, Susan," says Marcus, selecting a file from the stack of papers.

"Hello, Mr. Eaton," I say politely, and nod at Caleb and Beatrice's father. "Mr. Prior."

"I'm glad you chose to stay, Susan." Even Mr. Prior's smile is sad. My chest aches with guilt, which is strange, because I am not one of his children. I did not betray him. I want to comfort him, tell him Caleb will be back soon, but I can't.

"During initiation, you will share a room with Audrey Callahan," Marcus says, studying the file carefully. He glances up at me and explains, "The initiates live in dorm rooms in the building at the end of my street. After initiation, Abnegation families allow you to stay with them until you've gotten a job."

I know that building; an old apartment complex comprised of deteriorating brick. I'd never really inquired about Abnegation initiation before, because I'd always known that no matter what it entailed, I would still have to endure it.

"For now, you can help the adults put the chairs away." Marcus gestured to the large room, in which chattier-than-usual adults were folding chairs and storing them in a closet.

"Thank you," I tell them, nodding slightly, and approach the gray-dressed mass of people crowding the storage room area.

They are talking, but quiet. Even the initiates seem to be avoiding eye contact with each other. A few kids are reuniting with their parents, but since the Abnegation tend to not show affection, I can see where we get our nickname from. Maybe we are stiff.

If Caleb were here, I can't stop myself from thinking as a lump forms in my throat, I could talk to him. His father would not look quite so pained, and there would be no uneasiness lurking in the back of my mind.

"Susan." The voice is calmingly familiar, and I turn to see my parents approaching me. They stop a couple feet away, but they are smiling, genuinely happy. My mother reaches out and grips my hands tightly. "Thank you for staying," she says, and I notice that her amber eyes are glassy.

Impulsively, I slip my hands from her grasp and throw my arms around her, hugging her tightly, burying my face in her familiar gray sweater. I know that it is frowned upon by my faction, but at the moment I do not care. Her arms hesitantly envelop me as well, and at this moment I try to shove all of my doubt away. _I made the right choice. I belong here. _

When I finally pull away from my mother, I notice someone lurking about ten feet away, staring at my family thoughtfully. When he catches my eye, he immediately turns away and saunters off, offering help to a girl struggling to lift four chairs at once.

Liam.


	4. Curiosity

**Betrayal (Caleb/Susan fanfiction based on ****Divergent**** by Veronica Roth)**

** Chapter Four**

I'd always thought Dauntless initiation would be the most tiring.

I trudge up the stairs of the apartment building in which we are staying, my whole body weighted down with exhaustion. It is nearly eleven-thirty at night, and we worked all day with merely two or three breaks. My empty stomach grumbles, but at least that I am used to. Abnegation does not encourage snacking between meals.

I imagine Caleb walking beside me, always optimistic, making some sort of comment about sleeping well tonight or joking about gaining a bit of muscle today. This fantasy is brief, however; by the time I reach the top of the stairs my heart pounds as I think of him in Erudite. Glasses framing his pale, angular face. I wonder if he's made any friends yet.

I wonder if he's enjoying it.

Shaking the implausible thought from my mind, I scan the numbers on the weathered wooden doors as I head down the hall. I stop at number forty-six, my assigned room, and shove the door open.

"Susan?" A girl's voice immediately pipes up. "Susan Black?"

"That's me." I force a smile at the girl approaching me, extending a hand. She shoves it away and wraps me into a huge hug, squeezing me tightly. "You must be Audrey," I manage, my voice muffled by her worn black t-shirt.

She pulls away, a huge grin plastered across her face. She is very tall, I notice, and pretty; she has wildly curly dark hair that I've always secretly desired, and bright amber eyes. She looks mature, maybe a few years older than sixteen.

"I tried asking the other initiates about you today, but they don't talk much. And they told me gossip wasn't normal here." Audrey frowns slightly. "This is going to take a while to get used to."

"So, you're from Candor?" I ask, surveying the room. There are two small beds with a nightstand between them against one wall, a dresser with two drawers, and a clock hanging by the window opposite the entryway. The window looks down upon the dreary street below, which is now plunged into darkness.

Audrey nods enthusiastically, her smile returning. "I didn't want to leave my family, but my mother came from Abnegation. People at Candor can be terribly mean. She understands that, and I thought my brother would stay with my parents so they wouldn't be alone. But he chose Dauntless." She pauses, fingering a loose thread at the hem of her t-shirt. "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he is," I tell her. "My brother transferred too."

"To Dauntless?"

"Amity."

"At least you don't have to worry about his safety," she says. "Except I heard they drug their bread sometimes. To maintain peace between the members. But it's probably just a rumor."

"Probably." Drugged bread. I almost laugh at the thought, but I have no energy left to do even that.

Audrey points to the dresser. "There are sleep clothes in there. The bathroom is down the hall."

"Thanks." I collect a long-sleeved gray t-shirt and some baggy gray pants. "I'll be right back."

The bathroom is stark-white and smells like lemon, like ours at home. I lock myself in a stall and, as I'm changing, hear the door click open. It's probably someone brushing their teeth, I think, wondering why I didn't ask Audrey where the toothbrushes are. I should probably shower, too, and get all the grime from the city streets off my skin.

I exit the stall and clamp a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. There's someone standing against the wall by the door, smirking in a friendly, not pretentious, way.

Liam.

"Sorry to frighten you," he says, amused.

"What are you _doing _here?" I reply instinctively. I kneel down to gather my old clothes, which I'd dropped on the floor. My hands are shaky, and my heart is pounding.

"I could lie and say I was here to brush my teeth," he says, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He has traded the stiff blue button-down for a gray one, I notice, and has discarded his glasses. His face appears even more angular now, every feature more defined. "But I followed you."

A wave of uneasiness crashes over me. _I have a boyfriend, _I want to tell him. _So please leave me alone._

"You didn't talk to me all day," he continues, looking genuinely concerned. "I heard you were rooming with Audrey."

"So you waited outside our door for me?" My voice is quieter than I would like it to be, less intimidating.

"Look," Liam says, taking a step toward me. Instinctively, I back up. "I don't mean to scare you, Susan, really, I don't. But I like you, and I want to show you something."

"What do you mean?" Thoughts of Caleb consume my mind. His hair, thick and dark and slightly wavy, his eyes, his laugh, his words. _I promise._

"You've only ever been in Abnegation, haven't you?" He says, surprising me. "You've never even seen the other factions."

"At school—"

"That doesn't count." Liam's eyes are gazing so earnestly into mine now that I'm starting to feel lightheaded. "Aren't you bored here?"

"I . . ." I want to protest, defend my faction, but no words come out.

"Just come with me, Susan." Liam smiles, dimples reappearing in his cheeks. "Trust me." He extends a hand out; not far, but I know that he expects me to take it.

_This is wrong, _a voice inside my head warns. _You are with Caleb. You can't lead Liam on like this; it isn't right._

But another part of me realizes that he's right. Maybe I am a little bored with Abnegation. I don't regret my decision to stay; I am simply curious about what the other factions are like.

_Satisfying curiosity is self-indulgent,_ I can hear my mother's voice chasten inside my head.

It is for this precise reason, I think, that I set my clothes aside and take a deep breath, adrenaline pumping through my veins. "I'll go with you," I tell Liam, "but I'm not holding your hand."


	5. A Visitor

**Betrayal (Caleb/Susan fanfiction based on ****Divergent**** by Veronica Roth)**

** Chapter Five**

"Have you ever snuck out before?"

When Liam doesn't answer for a few seconds, I glance up at him. He is smiling. "The Erudite aren't always studious, Susan. We like to have fun."

I open my mouth to respond, but I can't find the right words. My fingers brush his left hand, and I quickly take a step away from him as we continue down the dimly-lit hallway. I feel heat rush to my face.

_Audrey must be wondering where you are, _I think, somewhat surprised that my new roommate is already crossing my mind. I guess I do belong here. I am selfless, I remind myself. I am.

We descend the stairs in silence. My mind swirls with thoughts of Caleb, and nothing else, and I'm beginning to regret going with Liam.

_You're not doing anything wrong, _I try to remind myself. _You are not betraying Caleb._

"Ever ride a Dauntless train?" Liam smirks when we reach the lobby of the building. There is a soft yellow light emanating from the streetlights outside, but other than that it is dark.

"Have _you_?" I don't bother concealing my surprise, and doubt. The Erudite consider themselves far too sophisticated to partake in Dauntless activities.

Liam shrugs, offering a cryptic smile. "Maybe."

It is not cold outside, but there is a near-autumn chill in the air that brushes against my skin. It is refreshing.

"Follow me," Liam says quietly, and turns right onto the sidewalk outside the building. I notice a dim yellow light on in a window upstairs and wonder if it is Audrey, waiting for me.

I can hear the low rumble of the train nearby. The rest of the city is dark by now, save for a few dim streetlights, but Erudite headquarters is still illuminated. Has it always been like that?

I used to be so afraid to walk the streets by myself; I'd never set foot outside without my brother or one of my parents. They still frighten me sometimes, with all the factionless roaming the Abnegation sector. But, oddly, I don't feel afraid with Liam walking beside me. I feel safe.

I follow him across the deserted road and up to the train tracks. I can see lights in the distance as the train approaches, slower here than when it passes the Dauntless compound.

"Get ready to jump," Liam grins. I force myself to look away from his face, not admire his dimples or his eyes, which sparkle with life and happiness and everything I've only ever experienced with Caleb—

"You first!" He shouts as the train nears, faster than it appeared before. My heartbeat quickens, adrenaline surging through my body. The ground shakes as it rumbles past, and trying not to think about what I'm doing, I spot an opening coming up in the cars and I jump.

I hit the floor of the car fast, flat on my stomach. For a moment I feel as if all the air in my lungs has evaporated, as if I can't breathe. Then I feel a smile creeping over my face as I realize what I just did.

"Not bad for a first-timer," Liam remarks, swinging easily into the car from the one behind. "And a Stiff, too."

"Don't call me that." I've never liked that nickname. It brings back too many memories of taunting classmates. "And how are you so experienced with trains? I thought you were from Erudite."

For the briefest of moments, a look of surprise passes over his face. He quickly composes himself. "Some of us rode the trains." It's a lousy explanation, but his voice is so firm I can't bring myself to question it.

"Look," he says, pointing out of the train car at the city. I push myself up into a sitting position and crawl to the edge with him, amazed that in sixteen years I've never taken the time to admire the city. Even in the dark, I can tell it's impressive. Wind stings my face and blows my hair wildly, but I am pleased to realize that I don't care.

Liam's shoulder brushes mine, and I feel my face flush. I move away.

"You have a boyfriend, don't you?" He says suddenly, surprising me.

"How did you—"

"I've never had a girl act this strangely around me before." I can't detect any hurt or confusion in his voice, just a vague sense of amusement. "Is he that Sti—Abnegation who transferred to Erudite? The Prior?"

My throat suddenly tight, I nod. "Do you know the Priors?" I manage.

Liam lets out a small, humorless laugh. "The Priors are a fairly well-known family in Erudite."

_I promise._

_ When all of this is over, I'll come back._

_ This doesn't change anything._

"Do you think there's going to be a war between the factions?" I ask, and I am not sure why. I've been turning the notion over in my head since the previous night, but I know it's ridiculous.

Liam's jaw tightens. "That's crazy," he says, clearing his throat. "Tensions aren't _that _bad, at least not yet."

"Yeah." I turn back to the night-darkened, seemingly abandoned city. "It is crazy."

The train is approaching the Abnegation sector. Again, Liam insists that I jump off first, and I land equally clumsily. My feet hit the ground hard and I stumble, about to fall when two strong hands grab hold of my arms.

I gasp. It is dark, but I don't need the dim streetlight to know who it is. I recognize him immediately.

Caleb.


	6. Secrets

**Caleb/Susan Fanfiction (based on ****Divergent ****by Veronica Roth)**

** Chapter Six**

"_Caleb?" _I breathe, shocked.

He steadies me, his hands lingering on my shoulders. My heart pounds wildly as I take in his furrowed eyebrows and glasses settled onto his angular face, which he has never worn before.

"I expected to find you inside," he says quietly.

"Oh. Well—"

"Are you in Abnegation or Dauntless initiation, Susan?"

"I don't—"

"You can't afford to be this reckless," he says harshly, stunning me further. He has never been this cold around anyone, especially me.

_He's only been at Erudite for a day. They couldn't have turned him against us that quickly, could they?_

Caleb sighs, a grayish puff of air. I guess it is colder than I thought; the adrenaline rush from jumping on and off the train must have distracted me from that.

"I'm sorry," I say, because I don't know what else to do. I want to kiss him, I want to ask him about initiation and why and _how _he's here, but something in his guarded expression tells me not to.

"No, no." He shakes his head, looking at the pavement below our feet. "I was just surprised. I shouldn't have acted like that. _I'm _sorry—"

"Wow." The voice makes us both turn, and my stomach drops when I see Liam standing about ten feet away, looking somewhat amused. "Never thought I'd see a Stiff go blue."

"Do you know him?" Caleb asks, eyebrows knitting together in concern.

"I . . . I don't, really, um . . . he's just . . ." I struggle to find the right words to explain Liam, though I remind myself that there isn't anything to explain.

"She told me she had a boyfriend," Liam continues, making my heart pound faster. Panic is spreading through me and I don't know why. "Hello, I'm William. You're a Prior?"

"How did you . . ." Caleb, still confused, glances quickly between Liam and I, stopping finally on me. "Susan, what the hell is going on—"

"Who is out there?"

The unfamiliar voice rings through the night like the unexpected blaring of a siren on a deserted street.

"We have to go," Liam says urgently, grabbing my arm.

"Hey!" Caleb grasps my other arm, yanking me away. "Don't you dare touch her like that."

"_Stop_," I try to say, but the words were too quiet and lost in their inexplicable anger.

"Do you want her to get kicked out of Abnegation?" Liam says, taking hold of my arm again. I feel like the doll Beatrice Prior and I used to fight over when we were young, when we were friends, before she had distanced herself from our faction.

"_Who _is out there?"

"Come on," Liam says, his green eyes gazing imploringly into mine.

"I'm sorry," I say to Caleb again, my throat tight. I feel tears burn the backs of my eyes. "I'm so sorry."

He just stares at me as Liam drags me towards the initiation building, hurt so plain in his eyes that it makes my chest ache with longing and guilt.

"I love you!" I call, not caring if anyone hears. I would risk anything for Caleb.

His mouth does not form the words _"I love you, too". _

"Let go of me," I say through my teeth, struggling to free myself from Liam's grip.

"Sorry." Hesitantly, he releases my arm. "Here," he points, stopping. I notice a gray-painted door on the side of the building, and he yanks it open.

I storm inside, ahead of him, consumed by rage. What would Caleb think? He couldn't think I was cheating on him. He couldn't. He is the last person I want to hurt in this world.

"Susan, I'm sorry," Liam calls behind me, quietly. It is dark in the stairwell that the door led to, and I don't really know where I'm going, but I start up the stairs thinking _third floor third floor third floor._

"I just wanted to have some fun." Liam sounds genuinely apologetic, and I feel the slightest bit guilty for snapping at him. It was selfish. My parents would be ashamed.

"It's fine," I said without turning around. I am not in very good shape, and by the second floor I am nearly breathless. I am afraid that if I turn to face him, I will cry.

"The boys are on the second floor," he said.

Taking a deep breath, I turn to find him staring at me with wide green eyes. He looks sorry.

"Don't feel bad," I say evenly, forcing a tight smile. "Nothing really happened. Caleb and I are fine."

If I keep telling myself this, maybe it will make it true.

"Where were you?" Audrey asks when I finally make it back to room 64. The small lamp on the bedside table casts a dim, yellowish glow over the room and she is sitting in bed against the wall. I notice a torn sheet of paper and a pen lying behind her; I can only make out one word written at the top: _Al. _"I was so worried. I was about to go tell somebody . . ."  
"I . . ." I was too exhausted to conjure up a decent lie. "I was out."  
"Where could you possibly have gone?" She said, not in a mean way, just in the bluntly curious manner Candor is known for.  
"I just went for a walk," I said, crawling into the stiffly uncomfortable bed that is just like mine at home. In a way, it is comforting; I can imagine that my brother is in his room across the hall, my parents in theirs downstairs, and that I will be attending school tomorrow just like any other day in the past ten years of my life.  
"Wanted to clear your head?" Audrey asked. I nodded.  
"My brother does that sometimes," she said; I nodded again. I flicked off the lamp on the table separating the twin beds, hoping it would quiet her, but she kept on talking. "They probably don't allow the Dauntless to leave their compound during initiation. I really hope he's all right. I know he chose Dauntless, but he isn't strong like the rest of them . . . " She shook her head, as if she felt guilty for saying that. "He is strong. I just don't think he should be in Dauntless."  
"He'll be fine," I told her, because that is what I've been taught to do. Put aside my own doubts and problems for other people. "If he chose to transfer, at least he's happier now."  
"I thought Abnegation was the easiest choice," Audrey said, surprising me. "I had to choose Abnegation . . . in Candor, the initiation process is awful. They shoot you up with truth serum and you aren't initiated until you've shared every single secret you've ever kept with the whole faction. I can't risk that. I . . ." She took a deep breath, then exhaled shakily. "I've done something bad, Susan, but I didn't mean to. I betrayed my faction."  
I am not sure what to do with this information, how she wants me to respond. My skin prickles with nerves; it seems odd that just at the time rumors of war are flying, there is suspicious activity among the factions. Is it true?  
"What did you do?" I ask quietly, trying to keep my voice even.  
Audrey shook her head. "It's nothing terrible; it's not as if I've murdered someone. But if I stayed in Candor, she would have found out eventually, and-"  
"_She_?" I can't help interrupting; I am confused but also intrigued.  
Audrey, wide-eyed, clapped a hand over her mouth. "I've said too much," she said through her fingers. "I'm sorry. I'm not good at keeping things to myself."  
I want, desperately, to know what she is talking about, but inquiring any further will only irritate her and she won't answer.  
"It's okay," was all I said. "If you want to talk to me, you can."  
"Thanks, Susan."  
I have always been good with keeping things to myself. It's what we're taught to do in Abnegation; we are not to burden others with our own problems. But this information might be important. I've got to tell someone.  
Someone, as in Caleb.


	7. The Plan

**Chapter Seven**

At breakfast the next morning, we all find seats around the tables other factions have discarded and are forced to choke down lumpy, flavorless oatmeal supplemented only by water. I sit with Audrey, who's been acting surprisingly normal in spite of everything she admitted to me last night, and three other people whom I recognize from Abnegation. Two girls, Sarah and Kate, and a boy named Evan. They look bright and excited to start another grueling day of cleaning up the city and feeding the factionless, and I resolve to act more like them. After all, I have made my choice, I might as well start recognizing it.

I don't see Liam anywhere, but I remind myself he isn't my concern. Or rather, shouldn't be.

"I'm so happy I chose Abnegation," Sarah declares. "I mean, if you switch, you'll never see your family again."

"I'm so sorry about Robert," Evan says to me.

"Why?" I ask, then flushed as they all creased their eyebrows in confusion and I realized I shouldn't have said that.

"Because . . . he transferred," Evan says, as though that was the worst crime someone could possibly commit.

"He's happier now," I say, which seems to shock them even more. I don't care.

"He transferred to Amity," Audrey puts in, and I shoot her a grateful smile. "The faction of peace." She says this in the sarcastic way only the Candor would dare, and I stifle a laugh while the others stare in horror. "Lay off, Stiffs."

The whole room falls silent. Stiff. The only word all of us have allowed ourselves to truly resent, the one no amount of Abnegation upbringing or meticulously instilled gratefulness can ignore. The word itself isn't that offensive; it's everything Stiff implies. The other factions have always thought themselves to be superior to us, and that superiority complex is reflected in the word.

If we were in Dauntless, Audrey would have undoubtedly been attacked. In Candor, she probably would have been bowed down to and thanked for her honesty. But in Abnegation, everyone else in the room forces themselves to go back to eating their flavorless oatmeal and continue their meaningless conversation.

"You are one of us now, Audrey," Katie says calmly, though her voice is quiet.

"I . . . I'm sorry," Audrey says to her oatmeal. Spots of red bloom on her face. "I . . . in my old faction . . ."

"It's okay," Evan says. "We understand."

Katie and Sarah nod, and look to me, expecting me to make a supportive statement. I've been in Abnegation my whole life, had always felt adequately assimilated into their—our—lifestyle, but ever since Caleb and I started meeting secretly and therefore rebelling against it, there's been an ever-growing distance between us. Between me and Abnegation. By choosing it at the Ceremony, I guess I tried to bridge it, but until Caleb comes back and things are normal again, I know that can't happen.

"Yeah," I say, feeling defeated. "It's alright, Audrey."

Sarah says something about how rewarding the rest of our lives are going to be, though of course the other factions are just as special, when suddenly there's a tap on my shoulder. I whirl around and my heart sinks when I see Liam, looking anxiously down at me.

"H-hi," I stammer, trying to remain calm. Why shouldn't I be?

"We need to talk," he says in a low voice. "Privately."

What could this possibly be about? My heart hammers against my chest as I nod. "Okay." I excuse myself from the table and stand, following Liam out of the room. No one seems to notice. Even Marcus Eaton, who stands by the exit, simply glances at us curiously as we pass.

We step out into the hallway and I think Liam will stop, but he doesn't until we've reached the doors that lead outside, and I follow him out onto the sidewalk.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"What did Audrey say to you, last night?" Liam asks, surprising me again.

"How did you—"

"Don't ask how I know," he says brusquely. "Susan, what did she tell you?"

"Nothing," I answer semi-honestly. She really didn't tell me much, but vaguely indicated that suspicious activity may be present among the factions' government and she may be part of it.

Was Liam?

"Susan," he says again, and there's desperation in his voice. "If she told you anything, you've got to tell me now. You won't be in any kind of trouble. But I need to know."

"She told me nothing," I say, trying to sound powerful and confident, like Marcus Eaton did during his speech at the Choosing Ceremony. "I swear."

Liam stares at me for a few more seconds and I'm worried I might flinch, but I must have been convincing because he finally sighs, relieved. "I believe you."

"Thank you."

I want to turn and leave, but something keeps my feet planted right there on the pavement, less than three feet away from Liam. Almost like I'm gravitating towards him, closer to him and farther from my faction.

"Susan," he says. "I . . . I really am sorry for last night. Let me make it up to you."

"It's really okay." I feel dizzy. I can't think about Caleb right now, what he might be doing, what he might be thinking about me.

"I know a way you can see Caleb alone," Liam says, lowering his voice. My stomach drops.

"If you want to," he quickly adds. "But I'd feel terrible if you two broke up because of me."

"Thank you," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I don't think . . ."

"You're just going to have to trust me," Liam says. "Okay?"

I have absolutely no reason to trust him. He might be involved in whatever Audrey was babbling about last night, he might have ended mine and Caleb's relationship, he's from Erudite. But for some reason, I do find honesty in his pleading green-eyed gaze, and I nod. I have been taught to always give people second chances, and I'm desperate to make things right with Caleb.

Liam explains his plan, and I know it's too risky, but all I can think is it's only the second day of initiation. Things can't get any worse from here.

I hope.


	8. Erudite

Chapter Eight

Marcus Eaton maintains a close watch over Liam and I throughout the day. Now that I know he actually might care about mine and Caleb's relationship, I don't feel guilty talking to him while we clean up trash on the city streets and cook and distribute lunch to the factionless. Still, his plan is crazy, and I can't help wondering while ladling cold soup into factionless peoples' old, cracked bowls if I'll end up like one of them. Cast out, a disgrace, a traitor.

A few times Audrey asks me if I'm okay, because she says I look like a nervous wreck. I tell her I'm fine, thank you for your concern.

Yesterday I was relieved when the sun began lowering beyond the city in a flurry of orange and pink. Today, more anxiety starts creeping over me as Olivia Thompson, who is assisting Marcus and Andrew Prior in supervising our initiation process, announces we're going back to the building for dinner. Olivia, like Marcus and now Mr. Prior, has a son who transferred factions.

I'd met Tobias, Marcus's son, a few times. We'd had the Eatons over for dinner two years ago; my mother used to be good friends with Evelyn Eaton, and therefore Marcus and my father were kind of forced to become friends.

"So, Tobias," my mother said brightly, breaking the awkward silence that had been hovering in the kitchen for several minutes. "The Choosing Ceremony is coming up, isn't it?"

Tobias didn't look up from his plate. "Yeah."

I knew I wasn't supposed to admire boys, but Tobias was handsome. I liked his eyes, the mysterious dark blue, and thick dark hair. Ever since Evelyn died, the Eatons had grown apart from many of their Abnegation friends, like the Priors. Tobias had grown quieter since then, withdrawn from everyone.

Marcus extended his arm around his son's shoulders, and Tobias flinched; his fork clattered to his plate.

Marcus drew back, clearing his throat. "Soon he'll be working with us, David." He smiled at my dad, and my dad smiled back.

"Yeah," Tobias said again, a somewhat relieved smile on his face. "I will."

Everyone but me was shocked when he chose Dauntless. Everyone also pitied Marcus, but his son clearly wasn't happy in Abnegation. I'd thought it was obvious.

Anyway, after dinner it's only eight o'clock, and Liam's plan didn't go into effect until eleven. Lights-out is at nine, and I shower and dress in too-big gray pajamas and crawl into bed by then, a jittery mess of nerves.

"So, what did you and Liam talk about today?" Audrey asks curiously once she's in bed as well.

"Nothing much," I say.

After a long, thoughtful pause, Audrey turns to me. "Susan," she says seriously. "I . . . I'm going to explain everything I told you last night. As soon as I can."

This surprises me. "Why?"

"Because I think you're on our side," is all she says before shutting off the lamp, turning and pretending to be asleep.

I sit for a while, breathing hard, wondering what that meant. Maybe I am starting to disagree with the lifestyle of Abnegation, but the prospect of war between the factions terrifies me. If it is going to happen, which I hope it doesn't, I will not be involved.

I must have fallen asleep eventually, because someone wakes me up, shaking my shoulders gently. Liam.

"It's time to go," he whispers, and I nod, not the least bit tired, or even startled.

I follow him out of our room and into the hallway, which is equally dark. The only light comes from a dim wall-mounted lamp further down the hall.

"Are you okay?" Liam asks. It seems like an odd question, but I tell him yes.

"Are you?" I ask.

He laughs a little. "Sure, Susan."

I keep following him, down the hallway and a precariously steep flight of stairs in the back of the building that I hadn't noticed before. Everything is dark, and I'm surprised when he grabs hold of my hand, and I know that I should be but I am not ungrateful.

We finally make it out onto the street; we're on the sidewalk in the back of the relatively low building. Above us, there is one room's light still on, and I realize it's probably Marcus Eaton's. All he would have to do was glance out his window . . .

"Susan?" I guess I'd zoned out. Liam's voice snaps me back to attention. "Remember what to do?"

I nod.

"I'll see you at Erudite," he says, and his hand slips out of mine and he's gone and panic starts prickling all over my skin. But I remind myself that whatever the risk, I'm still about to see Caleb. Make things right.

Recalling Liam's meticulous plan, as quietly as possibly I round the side of the building and pause when I hear his voice, ringing out in the otherwise silent night.

"Excuse me," he says, to the security guard stationed out front, an Abnegation volunteer. He heard Olivia talk about placing them after what happened last night. "I think my roommate is missing."

The security guard doesn't say anything, just probably nods and follows Liam into the building; I hear their heavy footsteps clomping up the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, I dash the rest of the way around the building and onto the street, which is eerily deserted. I hear the distant rumble of the train, and I know I don't have much time. I cross the street, still running, and climb up onto the old platform Liam told me about. He said people didn't always just jump on and off the trains, and they weren't always exclusively for the Dauntless. He said things were different in a lot of ways before the Great Peace, but I can't imagine them being any better.

The train roars around the corner, and anxiety closes my throat. I wonder how the Dauntless do this every day, and actually _enjoy _it.

I try to remember watching Liam jump, last night. I catch the second-to-last car of the train as it speeds past, and bizarrely, the thought of my parents comes to mind. My reserved, quiet Abnegation parents who would probably suffer heart attacks from the thought of their presumably reserved, quiet Abnegation daughter leaping onto a train as if she were Dauntless.

I'd like a few moments to catch my breath, but I can't relax. I know I'll be arriving at Erudite headquarters in less than five minutes, and Liam's plan is beginning to blur in my mind.

_Side entrance . . . not the front . . . watch out for the guard with the gun . . . don't worry . . ._

I peer out the side of the train, clinging tightly to the wall, and see Erudite headquarters loom up above the road one block ahead. I have never been so close before, and I have to admit, I'm impressed. The only faction headquarters I've seen are Abnegation and Amity, once, on a school field trip, and quite honestly, everyone appeared to be on some kind of happiness drug.

The train approaches the curve around Erudite headquarters, and I know it's time to jump. Bracing myself, I briefly pray I will land on my feet (alive) and jump.

After a rush of air, I miraculously land on the pavement without attracting the attention of any Erudite guards; I see two posted just outside the doors. Quietly as possible, I creep along the gate that ran along the space to the right of the building. There are dozens of security cameras lining the perimeter, but Liam promised he would turn them off on this side. He also promised he could unlock the storage room door, and I know that it is too soon to trust him, but this is my only chance of seeing Caleb again. And why would Liam want me to get captured by the Erudite? Wouldn't that just implicate him, too?

I locate the side door, smaller than I expected, in the dim glow of the street and window lights from above. The lights in Erudite headquarters never seem to go out.

Shaking, I pull myself up and scale the fence, something I never expected to do in my life. I expect sirens to start blaring, or footsteps to come pounding around the corner, but I guess Liam is successful. I tiptoe to the storage room door and pull it gently open, amazed at how easy this is. Am I the first person to break into Erudite headquarters?

Inside, it's all dark except for a few dim overhead lights, illuminating hundreds of cardboard boxes. I squint to read the words printed on one but can only make out a few: _Erudite . . . syringes . . . caution . . ._

I cannot get distracted, I remind myself. I have to get to the storage room next to this one to meet Caleb. _If _he agrees to show up.

My chest aches as I quietly make my way to the door; I miss stealing a secret kiss from him in the abandoned school hallway before math class, sneaking into his room at night and meeting him in the small park by Abnegation headquarters to watch the sun rise together. I want him back, and I don't want to wait until all this—whatever _this _is—is over to have him.

I cautiously push the door open, and thankfully it doesn't make a sound. But my heart nearly stops when I realize that rather than an empty hallway, a person is waiting to greet me.

"Hello, Susan," says Jeanine Matthews. "You're right on time."


	9. A Spy

**Chapter Nine**

I've never met Erudite's leader personally; I assume few people have. But in the newspaper pictures I'd seen of her, she exuded power. Up close, even her knowing smirk was threatening.

I stagger backwards, mind reeling, but two Erudite guards who'd apparently been waiting in the shadows of the boxes reach out and grab my arms, locking me in place mere feet away from Jeanine.

"Stop squirming, Susan. It won't do you any good," she says, bemused.

"What's happening?" I ask, my voice wavering. I want to know where Caleb is, if he is okay, but I don't want to get him into trouble.

"I've received word that you know of our plans," Jeanine says, narrowing her eyes at me. "Is that true?"

"I don't know anything," I answer honestly. Well, semi-honestly. All I know is that _something _is going on in the city, and my roommate is involved, and _Liam. _My heart sinks. How could I have been so stupid as to trust him? This has to be his fault.

The guards' grips on both my arms tighten, like I'm getting my blood pressure taken. "I swear," I tell her, "Audrey didn't tell me anything."

"_Audrey." _Jeanine smirks again. "Of course. I never should have trusted a Candor to keep quiet. What, exactly, did she tell you?"

"Nothing," I say too quickly. Jeanine pulls out a sharp, thin metal object from behind her back, wielding it expertly. A syringe, filled with orange liquid. "This is truth serum," she says. "From Candor. If I inject you with this, you will tell me all the things you've attempted to keep secret throughout your life."

_Caleb _is my first thought. No one can know we've been together. _Audrey _is my second; guilt forms a knot in my throat. I shouldn't have mentioned her name, but I did, and I might as well tell the truth since none of it was too incriminating.

"She told me she couldn't stay in Candor because she couldn't reveal things in initiation. Is she working for you?" That really is all I can recall about our strange conversation.

Jeanine chuckles. "Why would I tell you that, Ms. Black?"

I am silent.

"I suppose you do know of one person assisting me," she says. "William? Thanks to him, we've caught not only you but your boyfriend spy as well."

"Caleb?" I whisper, stunned.

She nods. "Honestly, I'm surprised the Abnegation pulled something like this. Didn't know you Stiffs had it in you."

Rage sparks inside me, but what can I do? I'm being pinned down by huge guards, Caleb is in danger and Liam is a traitor. All I'd ever wanted was to become an official member of Abnegation and have a nice life with Caleb Prior.

"Don't worry," Jeanine smirks. "We won't hurt him. In fact, you've earned me another . . . employee. Two, including you."

"What do you mean?"

"Caleb Prior will now work for me. His ties to Abnegation and his family will be cut, as will yours. Only, so as not to arouse suspicion, you will remain in your chosen faction."

I feel lightheaded. "I can't . . ."

"You will," she says firmly, expression hardening. "I'm being generous, Susan. Should you not comply, I will take you to Erudite and ensure you will never see your family, or your boyfriend, again."

"What do you want me to do?" I ask quietly, terrified at what her answer will be.

"I'm not sure just yet," she says. "We'll see how loyal you and Mr. Prior are."

"Can I see him?" I plead.

She just chuckles again. "Not yet," she says, leaning a bit closer. "But if you prove yourself to me, I'll consider it."

Liam is called to escort me out, and he is quiet until we board the train.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Susan," he says gently, and maybe two days ago I would have thought he was genuinely apologetic.

"Then why did you betray me?" I say, avoiding his gaze. I don't want to feel any more stupid than I already do.

"Hey, you trusted me."

"Exactly."

"I had to!" He sounds desperate now. "You met Jeanine! You saw how terrifying she is. She threatened me with the safety of my _family, _Susan. And I know that she's capable of either hurting them or sending them away. What would you have done?"

I think of my family: my parents, sleeping soundly in their modest Abnegation home, blissfully unaware of their daughter's traitorous activity. My brother, probably reveling in the laid-back nature of Amity, relieved to be away from the tenseness of the city. They are all happy. Safe. I could never jeopardize that.

But I couldn't trust Liam. In fact, I probably wouldn't trust anyone ever again.

"That didn't mean you had to turn me and Caleb in to her," I say. "That was wrong."

"I thought it would get me out," he says. "I'm tired of being under Jeanine's control. I don't want war between the factions any more than you do."

"_War?" _My blood turns cold, and finally I whip around to face him. I knew there was something going on, but war? That was extreme, and defeated the purpose of the factions in the first place.

Liam sighs. "I guess I can tell you now. Erudite's been planning to attack Abnegation for months. You know how bad things have been getting between them."

"Yes, but . . ."

"I don't know how they plan to attack, specifically," Liam admits. "But I think it involves some type of simulation serum. That's what all those boxes are for. Jeanine loves serums, and since the Erudite manufacture them, she can get away with it not arousing suspicion from other factions."

I'd heard about simulation serums at school, that the Dauntless used them in their initiation. They sounded terrible.

"What kind of simulation?" I ask. "And what, exactly, are you doing for Jeanine?"

"What Caleb was doing for Abnegation before tonight," he answers. "I'm a spy. And now, so are you."

I don't know how to respond to that. I don't want to be a spy; I want to be a loyal member of Abnegation. That is all I've ever wanted, isn't it? And even if it isn't, I can't betray secrets of my faction to Erudite. If we have any secrets, which I highly doubt.

"Come on," Liam says, offering his hand. "Time to jump."

I take two steps back. "I'm never making the mistake of trusting you again."

He looks hurt for a brief moment, but quickly recovers and leaps outside. I follow, and we make our way back to the abandoned apartment building in silence.


	10. Meeting

**Chapter Ten**

Audrey is missing when I return to room forty-six. Heart racing, I tear the room apart—not there's much to tear apart—searching for anything she may have left behind. A letter, a note, even a t-shirt, but all traces of her have vanished. She's gone, and it's my fault.

I don't sleep all night. I feel sick, and guilty, and anxious about whatever Jeanine has planned for me. It is the first time in initiation that I miss my house; I miss the calm, if not monotonous, regularity of my life prior to this week. I thought about what Liam had said to justify his betrayal: _she threatened me with the safety of my family. _Was my family in danger? Had I gotten Caleb involved in this? Was _he _in danger?

Liam had walked to my room with me and said quietly before I'd entered it, "She'll contact you soon." I assumed he was referring to Jeanine. I didn't want to do anything against my faction, or any faction, but if my family or Caleb were at risk . . .

"Where's Audrey?" Katie asks me when I slide into a chair across from her at breakfast.

"I'm not sure," I tell her, then quickly add, "I'msureshe'sfine," at her look of concern.

"Mr. Eaton?" A girl sitting with Katie, Sarah and I, whom I recalled switching from Candor, says to Marcus as he passes our table. "Susan's roommate is missing."

He pauses, turning to us and plastering a smile on his face. "Everything is fine, Tessa. Thank you for your concern."

With that, he exits the room, the glass door swinging shut behind him. A gray-clothed initiate, maybe that boy from breakfast yesterday, slides a steaming, Abnegation-gray bowl of oatmeal in front of me. I am hungry, but the oatmeal is nauseating.

And I want to know what happened to Audrey; I need to know if she is okay, and why Marcus Eaton lied. Or did he lie? How much did he know? I am not going to get any answers, I realize, by sitting around with the initiates. Knowing I won't be missed, I stand up and follow Marcus's path out of the room.

I have no idea where he's gone, but in the mildew-infested hallway I can hear voices drifting faintly from a room farther into the building, away from the front door and cafeteria-style room and stairs that lead to the dorms. Quietly, I make my way down the hall that leads to the voices, and they grow progressively louder.

" . . . not giving her back." Andrew Prior.

"What do you mean?"Marcus Eaton.

"She was a _spy_, Marcus."

"You don't know that."

"Jeanine Matthews confirmed it. Do you think I didn't assume she took one of our initiates?"

"If she was a spy, she never really was one of our initiates."

"Look, Marcus." Andrew was angry; his voice was raised. He had to be stressed out right now, with both of his children transferring to different factions. And to Erudite_, _no less. I hoped, for Beatrice's sake, that Dauntless initiation wasn't as violent as the rumors suggested. At least they got cake, I'd heard. "We can't trust anyone anymore."

"_Everyone _isn't a spy. But I don't trust that Liam kid. Or Susan Black."

My heart leaped into my throat; I didn't know where the voices were coming from specifically, but I knew they were emanating from one of the dozen or so wooden doors lining the hall. I prayed that I wouldn't have to find out.

"The Blacks are good friends of ours, Marcus. Good friends of my children."

I nearly choked.

"She's Audrey's roommate!" Marcus protested, furious. "And she's been hanging around Liam. What do we know about him?"

"Not everyone from Erudite are monsters," Mr. Prior said firmly.

"Not everyone in Abnegation are good," Marcus countered.

"Jeanine is planning something."

"I know."

"What can we do?"

"Nothing, unless we can get some information about her plans."

"How do we do that?"

A brief moment of silence.

"You're not saying . . ."

"We need to employ spies."

"No one in Abnegation will be willing to do that, I assure you."

"Then we'll recruit initiates."

"This goes against _everything—"_

"This is war." Marcus's voice was cold. "This is no time for fair play, Andrew."

"Who?"

Thoughtful moment of silence.

"Susan Black."

I felt lightheaded.

"Are you sure?"

"You want to prove I can trust her? I'll trust her if she accomplishes this for our faction. For her faction."

"It's too dangerous."

"No, Dauntless initiation is dangerous. This . . ." he trailed off. "I'm sorry, Andrew."

"It's all right." Mr. Prior sounded broken, and my chest swelled with sympathy. I have been taught to feel others' emotions as, if not more deeply than, my own, and I feel every bit of his loss.

"I will talk to Susan later. And we'll formulate a plan at the meeting later."

Mr. Prior agreed, and I bolted back down the hall and started up the stairs, but realized I had to eat something. It would be six hours before lunch. And if I wasn't in the room with the others it would look suspicious.

Though compared to what I apparently would inevitably have to accomplish soon, that was nothing.


	11. The Email

**Chapter Eleven**

We board the rickety old bus to take us to the factionless part of the city right after breakfast. I find a row of seats and sit alone, not in the mood to converse with others. The bus has already started moving when someone drops into the seat next to me.

Liam.

"I didn't see you at breakfast," I tell him, trying to keep my breathing even.

"I saw you leave," he says quietly.

"I am none of your business," I respond, knowing I am being rude. I don't care. This is all Liam's fault.

"I have a message for you," he says, lowering his voice so it's barely audible over the rumble of the bus's engine. My heart races. A message. It must be from Jeanine, who wants to use me. But Abnegation also wants to use me. How did I get mixed up in this?

"There is a meeting at Amity one week from now," Liam says, "that is supposed to be attended by all of Abnegation's officials—Marcus Eaton, Andrew Prior, James Lewis, you know."

"And?"

"Jeanine needs you to cancel it."

"What if I say no?" I ask, avoiding Liam's eyes.

He pauses for a moment. Then, "I said no once. She tortured my sister. She injected her with fear-inducing serum and she _tortured _her, Susan. She's only twelve."

I shudder; I can't help it. I think of my brother, so blissfully ignorant in Amity, and my parents, equally unaware, heading to their respective jobs as they did every Thursday. I think of a pack of Erudite guards descending upon and capturing them, dragging them back to headquarters. I shudder again.

"Fine," I say through my teeth. "How?"

Liam explains the details to me, and I nod through them until he is done, when I ask, "What about Caleb?"

Liam looks perplexed. "What about him?"

"_Is he okay?" _

He looked genuinely apologetic. "I'm not sure, Susan. All I know is that Jeanine has him."

"What about Audrey?"

He's silent, and at my horrified expression, he quickly says, "She's not dead." But that is all. _Not dead _doesn't mean _alive. _

"I'll see you later," Liam says, before standing and moving up to the front of the bus to sit with a boy named Steven.

We take a different route today, due to construction, and pass a Dauntless train. They just fly off onto the sides of the tracks, lithe and beaming and seemingly carefree. I have always admired the bravery of the Dauntless, and I hope that I can summon enough courage to accomplish whatever my faction—and my family—needs of me.

After dinner, after everyone showers and returns to their rooms and sleeps, I wait. Lights-out for us is 9:30, but who knows how late Marcus Eaton and Andrew Prior will be awake, in the study?

I waited all day for one of them to confront me, to inform me that I was now their spy, but they didn't. I wondered if they changed their minds, or if it was just Abnegation people being Abnegation people; never taking risks, planning meticulously.

At eleven o'clock, exactly, I figure it is safe to at least see if they're still awake. One can only flip through the Abnegation handbook for so long before they need to do something else.

I shut the lamp off in my room and creep down the hall, then the stairs, which creak. I cringe at each extraordinarily loud step; during the day, when it was not necessary to be quiet, I hadn't noticed the creaking stairs.

There are no voices drifting down the hall at the end of which is the office, so I continue towards the door. I pause again, at the door, but still I can hear nothing. They must be asleep.

I gently shove the door open—of course the Abnegation would not lock their doors; they wouldn't suspect anyone of trying to enter one they weren't supposed to.

There is the office; it is dark, but I can see that there is no Marcus, no Andrew, no one. I stumble across the extremely neat room to the corner, where I can just make out a lamp, and flick it on. Now I can see better, and most importantly, I can see the computer in the middle of the desk, pushed up against the opposite wall.

My hands shake as I lower myself into the big leather chair in front of the desk; I am working for Erudite, I am a spy, I am betraying my faction. And I have no idea how to use a computer.

_Please forgive me. _The thought crosses my mind, and I realize I'm thinking it for my family, my faction, Caleb. _This isn't my choice. I just wanted to be with Caleb Prior; that's all I've ever wanted. _

_Even though I don't deserve him now._

_Even though he probably hates me._

_I still love him._

I tap a few random keys on the computer's keyboard, like Liam instructed me to. It whirs to life, the screen suddenly glowing bright blue. It is password protected, but I enter the word he told me: _Evelyn. _I do not know who Evelyn is, but it works, and the password-requesting box disappears.

Using the mouse, I click on what looks like the icon Liam described to me, the one that says Mail. A row of messages pop up, and though I know it is wrong to pry, I can't help glancing at the list. There are several from Andrew Prior, one from Candor's leader, Jack Kang, and one from . . .

Jeanine?

I drag the mouse down to the one that says it's from Jeanine Matthews, and it expands to fill most of the screen. My pulse races as I read the message:

_Marcus:_

_One week. That's all I need. One week from Friday, the day of official Dauntless initiation. We'll catch that Prior girl, and your son. Until then you need to play along with Andrew; make him think you're oblivious to all this. Make him think you're against me. He's not an idiot; he's from Erudite, remember? _

_-Jeanine_

It's not cold in the room; it's only September, and it's heated, but suddenly I feel frozen. _Marcus _is working with Jeanine? _Marcus Eaton _is a spy? _Why? _When did this all become so corrupted?

I take a deep breath. I could worry later; I had to do what Liam told me. I exit out of the e-mail with shaking fingers and click on the top one: the one from Johanna Reyes, Amity's faction leader. It invites all the Abnegation government workers to a meeting next Friday. Until now, it was unopened.

I delete it, then head back upstairs to room forty-six.


	12. Reunited

**Chapter Twelve**

"Well done," Liam says, sliding into the seat next to me at breakfast the next morning. I do not respond.

"You didn't happen to read any other e-mails, did you?" He asks. I shake my head no, and he says with a small smile, "Good." Because he has no reason to disbelieve me; I am Abnegation-raised, not meant to be a part of something like this. I am not Candor, but I am honest, and selfless. Above all I am selfless, and that is the only reason I am doing this.

At least I thought all that was true, mere days ago. Now I have my doubts.

"She won't be needing you for a bit," Liam says. I nod.

"This plan really is incredible, Susan," he gushes. "Jeanine's. It is sort of malicious but . . . it's impressive."

"What about Caleb?"

He looks taken aback. "What?"

"_Caleb." _I don't bother lowering my voice. I garner a couple curious glances from around the room. "I want to know if Caleb and Audrey are okay."

Liam clears his throat, casting his eyes away from mine. "Audrey is dealing with a tragic family matter at the moment."

"Did Jeanine—?"

"No. Her brother was in Dauntless initiation." _Was. _"He didn't make it to the final stage."

I nod again. I do not question him further; this is not the first time someone from Dauntless has died in initiation. I do feel a pang of sympathy for my former roommate; I didn't know what I'd do if Robert died.

"Caleb?" I ask, unable to hide my anxiety.

"He's okay."

"What does that entail?"

"Well, Jeanine's not happy with him." Liam stirred his oatmeal idly. "She found out he was working for the Abnegation."

"But . . .?"

"As long as he complies, he has nothing to worry about," he answers. "Neither do you."

"Do you?"

He glances up at me, almost curiously. "My well-being is none of your concern, Susan Black. At least, it shouldn't be."

"I'm from the faction of selflessness, remember?" I smirk. "I've been trained to care for other people and other people only."

"Yes, well." He scoffs. "With what's coming, you'd better drop that mentality."

Before I can question him about that, about what's coming, about this supposedly impending war, someone taps me on the shoulder.

I whirl around, on edge, expecting Marcus or Mr. Prior to bust me for sneaking into the office. Instead, my breath is sucked out of my lungs as I recognize the bright green eyes I've come to know so well.

Caleb.

His face is shrouded by big glasses and a gray hood attached to his jacket, and a security badge shines on his chest. Liam doesn't seem to register who it is; he's suddenly engaged in conversation with Sarah and Evan.

"Come with me," Caleb says quietly, and without question I slide out of the chair and follow him out of the room, past an unsuspecting Abnegation guard, and into the hallway. I follow him outside, down the sidewalk, around the corner to the side of the building. Then he turns around and lowers the jacket hood, but keeps the glasses on.

Impulsively, I throw my arms around him, squeezing him tightly, breathing in the familiar detergent-tinged scent of him. I don't realize I'm crying until I hear him saying quietly, _"It's okay, it's okay, I'm fine, we're fine . . ."_

I don't cry often. But I didn't realize how much I missed him, how much I worried about him, how much I worried about _us. _We cling to one another for a while, and when I'm able to collect myself I pull away and suck in a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"No." He shakes his head, angry. He is angry with himself. "This is my fault. This is all my fault. I never should have left; I should have stayed here in Abnegation with you, let them find someone else to do the dirty work . . ."

"Stop." I look past the glasses, which suit him, accent his already-defined cheekbones and wide green eyes. As earnestly as possible, I tell him, "Nothing is your fault. It's Jeanine Matthews'."

"I'm so sorry—"

"_Stop." _I reach out and cup his face in my hands, and I can't help smiling. Not because any of this is funny, or I'm particularly happy, but I'm so relieved that he's here and he's alive and he still loves me and we are okay. "It doesn't matter right now."

A small smile curls the corner of his lip up, and suddenly he leans forward and now his hands are on my face as he kisses me, they're in my hair, frantic, like someone is going to tear us apart at any second.

"Hey!"

We both jump backwards at the terrifyingly familiar voice.

Caleb, horrified, looks from me to the corner, where Marcus Eaton is bound to come around any second now.

"Caleb . . ." I start, and I can feel tears burn the backs of my eyes. I waited so long to reunite with him, worried so much, and we don't get so much as a few moments together?

_What if this is the last time I see him?_

"I love you, Susan," he says firmly, his eyes locked with mine. "No matter what."

I nod, swallowing back tears. "I love you, too."

"I'll see you soon," he says.

I open my mouth to tell him to promise, but it's too late. He's gone, bolting away from the building, towards the Dauntless train tracks.


	13. Two Days

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Where did that guard go?" Marcus Eaton demands, rounding the corner of the building. He stops about ten feet away, but I can see his eyes blazing.

"He . . ." I don't realize I am in shock until I realize that I can't speak. "He went . . ."

Marcus sighs. "What did he want, Susan?"

"N-nothing . . ."

"Come back inside," he orders, narrowing his eyes at me, and obediently, I do return to the building, feeling his footsteps close behind as I reenter the dining room.

_Caleb. _

_Caleb was _here. _And he left. _

_But we're okay._

I find it difficult to engage in conversation with anyone else for the rest of the day. My mind is consumed with Caleb, and everything I'd missed about him. It is harder to miss him now than it was when I'd gone days without seeing him.

I worry about Audrey, too; on top of everything else, the last thing she needs is dealing with her brother's untimely death. I doubt Jeanine will be sympathetic to this.

After showering and brushing my teeth—I'd let all the other girls go before me; I'd felt I had to do something, however small, to compensate for my behavior—I return to room forty-six and collapse into bed. I am exhausted but simultaneously incapable of sleep; too many thoughts are crowding my mind.

With a sigh, I crane my head up to the ceiling.

I jolt upright, heart hammering against my chest. There are words scrawled across my ceiling, in dark blue paint.

_TWO DAYS. _

I clap a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out. There has been someone, an intruder, in my room. And, in Erudite blue, written on my ceiling. Is it a warning?

Not knowing where else to go, I run from the room, downstairs, to the boys' hallway. I remember Liam's room number—seven—and pound violently on the door, not caring who I wake up.

"Susan?" He is confused, but wide awake, unlike his roommate, whom I can see snoring.

I am out of breath, not from the short run here, but out of terror. "You . . . my room . . . Someone . . ."

"Is everything okay?"

I shake my head, and his eyebrows furrow with concern. "Come on," he says, and I follow him back to my room.

He staggers backward after stepping into the room and probably seeing the ceiling.

"No," he says quietly, to himself.

"What?" I ask anxiously.

"_No," _he says again.

"Liam!" I don't care if I wake up my neighbors. I don't care. I just want to know what this means.

"She's changed her plans," he says, still in a hushed and horrified tone.

"Who's changed what plans?" I demand, though I suspect I already know.

"Jeanine is going to launch the attack in two days, not six," he says anyway.

"What attack?" I feel myself shaking now.

He finally brings his gaze up to mine, his eyes glistening with fear. "The one," he says, "that if we don't get out of here now, we won't survive."


	14. Safe

**Chapter Fourteen**

"How do you know so much about this plan?" I manage to ask Liam on our way out of the building.

"She likes me," he answers plainly, shoving open the side door. "She tells me things she wouldn't the rest of you."

"And why is that?"

"How do I know?"

"I think you do."

He pauses briefly, just stepping onto the sidewalk, to turn and face me. "For someone from Abnegation, Susan, you've certainly got a smart mouth."

"I'm not an idiot."

"I didn't offend you."

"Didn't you?"

"I hear the train." I follow him running across the street, towards the tracks and the platform. I do not accept his hand when he offers to help me up.

Adrenaline pulses through me as I leap into a car, near the back. It occurs to me, once I am—somewhat safely—aboard, that I almost missed it.

"Where are we going?" I shout to Liam, who is in the car just in front of mine.

"Dauntless headquarters!" He calls back.

_Dauntless headquarters. _

The place I'd, truthfully, feared my whole life. The initiation where not everyone survived. Where becoming factionless was a probability, not a threat. The faction that used guns and knives and knew how to fight. The faction whose members _enjoyed _those things. Beatrice Prior's chosen faction.

Dauntless.

"What are we going there for?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

"You'll see!" He shouts back cryptically.

We ride the train farther than usual; we pass the brightly-lit Erudite headquarters, despite the late hour. We drive deep into the city, past rows and rows of dark houses and buildings, of streetlights no longer illuminated. The city is dead; I feel like we are ghosts. Like we don't belong here.

"Now!" He shouts suddenly, once we've passed the rows of houses. We have reached the Dauntless compound. I leap from the train, landing more neatly than my first attempt but still clumsily compared to him.

"What about the guards?" I ask; he starts walking toward the massive glass building ahead, so I follow.

He waves off the notion. "Do you think I don't know my way around?"

"Honestly, no." I no longer have to remain extremely close to see him; the lights from the Dauntless building are enough to lag behind a bit. "You're from Erudite."

"What did you do for fun when you were a kid?"

_Play with Caleb and Beatrice Prior. Knit hats and gloves for the factionless with my mother. Cook for the factionless with my mother. _"Nothing," I answer.

"Well, at Erudite, we study." We are only about fifty feet from the building now, and he ducks behind a huge tree. I can see armed guards lining the perimeter. "We memorize things. One of those things is maps."

"What does that—"

He turns, smirking. "It _matters_, Susan, because if I hadn't memorized dozens of maps of the city, how would I know that there's a secret tunnel leading to the inner Dauntless compound which can be entered behind this tree?"

I am just about to tell him he's lying, scold him for trying to trick me, turn back, when he brushes aside a mess of branches and leaves to reveal a metal door, not much bigger than a laundry chute.

"Come on," he says excitedly, yanking it open.

Fear crashes through me, overwhelming. "I'm not going first."

He sighs. "Fine." With that, he jumps through, disappears. There is a clatter below, that thankfully does not alert the gun-clutching guards outside the building, and Liam calls, "Come _on!"_

"One second," I say, though it takes several seconds to collect my breath and attempt to calm my nerves, before sliding in myself.

I fight the instinct to scream as I fall, and fall, then collide roughly with cement. I grab, desperately, for something to steady myself, and discover there is a ladder behind me.

"_Liam," _I hiss. "How come you failed to mention there was a _ladder _we could have used?"

He clicks on a flashlight, flooding the tunnel with a yellowish glow. "You're at Dauntless now," he says. "Live a little."

I don't respond, because I don't want to give him the satisfaction. "You could at least tell me where we're going."

"We're almost there," he says, and I continue following him, down the dark, musty tunnel that smells like moss. I breathe through my mouth, trying not to think about the amount of insects or rats scurrying around at our feet.

We walk for a few more minutes, our feet making the only sounds in the tunnel, each step echoing loudly off the cold cement walls. I wonder how long these have been present, and if all the factions have them. And why, exactly, they were built, unless they foresaw war . . .

"Here!" Liam announced so suddenly that I slammed into his back, stumbling over my own feet. I quickly moved several feet away.

He turns his flashlight directly to the right side of the wall, where a small metal door—just big enough for a person to squeeze through—is in the wall.

"What is that?" I ask quietly; I feel as if we are being watched.

"The door to safety," Liam replies, and he hands me the flashlight. He then grips the big wheel-like door handle and yanks, hard, while spinning it. I can see it takes a lot of effort, all of his strength, to open it, but eventually it does creak open, revealing a cramped room inside.

"Yes!" He cries out triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air. That, I think, is a very Dauntless thing to do.

"_This _is safety?" I don't bother hiding my skepticism. It's barely enough room for ten people, with moss-covered walls and a freezing stone floor. Plus, the air is stale and has to be worse inside the room.

"Hey," Liam says reproachfully, "If we're under attack, which we will be soon, you'll take any hideaway you can get."

_Which we will be soon._

War is coming. Liam is ready, I am somewhat ready, but Abnegation is not.


	15. Attack

**Chapter Fifteen**

The next morning, I can't help but find it strange that life in Abnegation is so ordinary. So mundane. I want to tell someone, to warn them, but Liam explicitly told me not to. Abnegation can't be completely unprepared; they have to have some weapons, somewhere, to fight back. I wonder, lying in bed at night, staring up at the words _TWO DAYS _on my ceiling, exactly _how _Jeanine will launch an attack. Her assignments for me have given me nothing, no insight.

Audrey is still missing, and I haven't spoken to Caleb. I wonder—I _hope—_that he made it back to Erudite headquarters safely.

The next morning is the day that Abnegation, and potentially the other factions, will be attacked by Jeanine. And I am one of the very select few who are aware of this. It should make me feel special, important, but it just makes me feel guilty and uneasy.

We eat breakfast, as usual; tasteless, gray-tinged oatmeal.

"I'm looking forward to the Initiation Ceremony," Evan announces to our usual table, and I doubt he is, but there is nothing else to say.

"When is that?" Sarah asks, though she already knows.

"Friday," Katie answers helpfully. "The same day as Dauntless."

_That's funny, _I think. _Ironic, more like. Dauntless and Abnegation, so completely different; they are both brave, but in different ways. Dauntless members are willing to kill others if necessary, and Abnegation are willing to help them if necessary. Those roles cannot be reversed. _

"Audrey's still gone?" Katie asks, which is odd, because the Abnegation are taught not to pry.

"Yes," I answer. "She's no longer in Initiation." Because she probably isn't.

They all just nod, and go back to eating in silence. Silence is worse, because now I feel like I'm drowning in my thoughts, my worries, my guilt. I'm not even sure what, precisely, I am guilty for, but I feel it.

Suddenly the floor starts quaking; my water swishes in its glass, unprovoked except by the strange rumbling of the ground. We all peer outside, curious, and my breath catches in my throat when I see the Dauntless train coming. The cars are packed with people, all bearing weapons, heavy-looking guns. They are all Dauntless. And they are coming to attack Abnegation now.

"_Everyone hide!" _Molly Whitely, the only supervisor still here—I don't know where Marcus Eaton or Andrew Prior are—shouts. "Follow the plan!"

But she is mistaken; there is no plan. They never told us what to do in this situation because they never could have anticipated it.

The room erupts into chaos; people storm the exit, screaming, and though there aren't that many of us we can't all fit.

A hand is suddenly on my wrist, gripping it hard. I look up and Liam, wide-eyed, is there. "Come on," he says. "We're getting to safety."

"What about all of them?" I gasp. Gunfire explodes outside, and I cringe.

Liam smirks. "You are a Stiff at heart, Susan."


	16. Surprise

**Chapter Sixteen**

"My family . . ." is all I can manage to say as Liam pulls me along out the back door of the building, darting around trees and fences and old furniture left to rot on the sidewalk.

"They'll be fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because Jeanine trusts you now," he says. "She'll make sure that they're safe."

I doubted this, but I had to hope it was right. I would not be somewhat responsible for the death of my parents, I couldn't be.

There are more screams outside, as more Abnegation pour out of their houses, and more gunfire from the Dauntless. I wonder, briefly, if Beatrice Prior is among that crowd; I hope she isn't. Beatrice makes me think of Caleb, and I hope that he is safe.

I also wonder, as Liam drags me by the wrist behind a huge tree for cover, why the Dauntless are doing this. I have always known that they are tough, that they are brave and like to fight, but they have never deliberately attacked or killed in another faction before. I wonder how involved Jeanine is in all of this, and if she got Audrey involved too.

"I have to go," Liam says, breathless.

"What?" I hear him, but I don't understand.

"Do you remember our hiding place?" _Our. _It wasn't _our _anything; he'd shown me to safety, that was all. Any other decent human being would have done the same.

"I think so," I say, but I don't want him to leave. I don't want to be alone, I don't want to be the only one saved out of all the people living in my faction.

"I'll meet you there," he says, and his eyes are honest enough that I believe him. I nod, and he runs off, out of sight down the road behind us.

The Dauntless are ahead, but the terrifying sounds are subsiding; they must be moving onto the more populated areas of the city. I want to go warn them, to help them, but it's too late. I can't do anything to stop the advancing Dauntless soldiers—who, judging by the events of the last week or so, are being controlled by Jeanine Matthews. I do not know how, nor do I really want to. I just want peace.

And I want to be safe. I duck out from behind the tree and dare to venture to the front of the building. There are three bodies, lying dead, in front of it: not those whom I sat with at breakfast every day, but still those whom I recognized from initiation. There are small pools of blood beside each of them, darker than I'd imagined. Darker than the blood on my wrist at the Choosing Ceremony.

_That's going to be you, _I force myself to think, pushing forward to the train platform. _Unless you get to the tunnel. _

I can hear the Dauntless, not too far away, and for several minutes I stand on the platform, terrified that the next train will hold another shipment of them. But it is blessedly empty, and I jump on board, stumbling; seeing those bodies has thrown me off.

I find it hard to breathe or quell my racing heartbeat during the ride to Dauntless headquarters. Once there, I jump off earlier than we did two days ago, because I suspect there will be many more guards. I'm right; there are at least twelve lining the perimeter.

I hurry to that tree, shoving aside all the branches and leaves that I recalled concealed the door. I pull the door open carefully, so it doesn't creak; the chilled morning air is stiff with silence save for mumbled conversations between the Dauntless guards.

This time, I use the ladder. I climb down carefully, and I realize I do not have a flashlight; the tunnel is pitch-black, but it is narrow and I tread carefully along the slippery ground. I feel my way across the walls for the door Liam had opened, and when I find it, I heave a huge sigh of relief. I'll be safe. And hopefully my family will be, too.

I shove open the door, expecting the same empty, humid room, but find something much worse.

Liam, aiming a sleek black Dauntless gun right at me.


	17. The End

**Chapter Seventeen**

"It's okay," I say, my voice shaking. The bodies slain outside the initiation building flash through my mind. "Liam, it's me."

"I know." In the dim candlelight from inside, I see him smirk. He looks terrifying.

"What's going on?" Instinctively, I take a few steps back from the doorway, but I hit the wall on the other side.

"Come inside," he orders, and I am taught to follow orders, not ignore them. So I do. Besides, there is nowhere to run.

He begins pacing, painfully slow, across the opposite wall of the room. "Thanks for coming."

"_Liam," _I say, and I can hear the desperation, confusion in my voice. I can feel my blood pounding deafeningly loud in my ears. "You're scaring me."

"No need to be scared of death," he says, stroking the gun like it's a pet rabbit.

"Death?" My voice is barely a whisper.

"The funny thing is," he says, still smirking, "You didn't trust me. I gained your trust by making you think I'd already betrayed you, but I hadn't."

"What are you talking about?"

"Jeanine and I have been planning this for some time," he continues, still pacing. "When I turned you in when I said you were going to meet Caleb, that was the least of what I wanted to do."

_"Why?"_

"Because you _knew," _he says, eyes shining crazily. "You knew about Jeanine, thanks to Audrey."

"Where is she?" I almost don't want to know the answer to that question.

"She's alive, if that's what you're asking," he says. "Just a prisoner."

"It's not my fault that she told me things!" I tried.

"But she did. Then it was your problem, and now it is ours. Especially since you're part of one of Abnegation's most loyal families. For killing you, do you know how much respect I'll gain from Jeanine?"

I want to hurt him. Strangle him, maybe.

"So do it," I say, because a part of me believes that he won't, though my whole body is shaking.

"All right, moving things along." He positions the gun so it's aimed at my forehead. I can't breathe, I can't think. I wonder if I am already dead.

"I'm not going to ask for any last words," he says. "I doubt a Stiff's could be that interesting."

I am just opening my mouth to reply when, suddenly, there is a gunshot, and blood splatters the wall behind Liam. He collapses to the ground, his own gun drifting across the ground, towards me.

"_Caleb?" _I breathe in disbelief as he steps into the room, holding a gun of his own. The glasses are gone; he is wearing all gray. He looks firm and much like I imagine a soldier would.

"Are you okay?" He demands, examining the room.

I am overwhelmed with shock and confusion and dizziness. I am also speechless; I can't quite put into words how relieved I am at seeing him or how much I missed him or how surprised I am that Liam was planning to kill me, or how strange it is to see Caleb with a gun.

So I don't say anything; I run and throw my arms around him, clutching him tightly. I don't want to let go; I don't want to reemerge into a war-torn city where Jeanine Matthews is everywhere, where she has people like Liam working for her. Where I am supposed to be dead.

"It's okay," Caleb says, kissing my forehead. "It's okay."

But it's not. I don't know where my family is, and I don't know where his is, either. I don't know how the Dauntless were motivated to attack us, and I don't know if we're going to be okay. But at least I have Caleb, and he's not going anywhere. I hope.

"We have to find our families," I say, and I feel like I should be crying or _something _but I am too numb for that. I detach myself from Caleb, and try not to look at Liam's dead body. I wonder briefly if his family will look for him, if they'll care, if they love him, if they even know him anymore.

Caleb nods. "Susan, it's dangerous up there, you can stay—"

"With _him?" _I gesture to Liam. "I can't."

"Fine." Caleb slings his arm that isn't holding the gun over my shoulders, and we walk out of the room and to the end of the tunnel together, and I feel safe.

Until I mount the ladder, just ahead of Caleb, and for the second time that week I am face-to-face with Jeanine Matthews.

She stands at the top, a few feet away, flanked by armed Dauntless guards. "You've impressed me, both of you," she says, her head tilted at us thoughtfully.

"We haven't done anything for you," Caleb says bitterly.

"You killed William," she counters, and Caleb flinches. He did it to protect me, but he is not a murderer. "And, Susan, you obeyed me when needed."

"I didn't—"

"The email?" She smirks. "You both strike me as far too clever for Abnegation."

"I'm going back," Caleb declares firmly. "I don't want to be a part of this, of whatever you're doing. We did what you asked, now you can let us go."

"All right," says Jeanine. "I can let you go." She snaps twice, and the Dauntless guards—I cannot see their faces; they're shielded by dark sunglasses—position their huge guns so they're aimed right at Caleb and I.

"No!" I cry out instinctively, reaching for Caleb's hand.

"It's that, or you work for me." Jeanine was serious now, no trace of amusement whatsoever on her face. "What'll it be, Stiffs?"

I want to talk to Caleb, to look at him, but I don't dare.

"Fine," Caleb sighs after a moment. "Okay, we'll work for you."

"Excellent." Jeanine's smile is back. "There's someone I need you to help me capture."

Caleb is suspicious as he inquires, "Who?"

"A certain Divergent girl who, I believe, you know very well."


End file.
